A Cloud in the Sky: Geo-Aware On-board Data Services for LEO Satellites

TL;DR

An architecture with accompanying protocol for on-board satellite data infrastructure designed for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations offering communication services, such as direct-to-cell connectivity, and how blockchain-backed distributed transactions can be run efficiently on this architecture to offer smart contract services.

Abstract

We propose an architecture with accompanying protocol for on-board satellite data infrastructure designed for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations offering communication services, such as direct-to-cell connectivity. Our design leverages the unused or under-used computing and communication resources of LEO satellites that are orbiting over uninhabited parts of the earth, like the oceans. We show how blockchain-backed distributed transactions can be run efficiently on this architecture to offer smart contract services. A key aspect of the proposed architecture that sets it apart from other blockchain systems is that migration of the ledger is not done solely to recover from failures. Rather, migration is also performed periodically and continuously as the satellites circle around in their orbits and enter and leave the blockchain service area. We show in simulations how message and blockchain processing overhead can be contained using different sizes of dynamic geo-aware service areas.

Figures (5)

• Figure 1: +GRID 2d torus ISL. Source: Pfandzelter and Bermbach pfandzelter2022.
• Figure 2: Transaction route execute, order, and commit (gossip) message passing.
• Figure 3: Simulation Web visualization screenshots of periods 1, 4, 6, and 8. Top: Torus cells, Bottom: Earth overlay. Red node: outside of service area. Yellow node: inside service area. Green node: leader row node. Pink node: leader.
• Figure 4: Total messages and gossip messages (for transaction commits).
• Figure 5: Gossip message distribution across orbital indices and orbital planes across all evaluation runs.